teams (hopefully we use pre-set criteria like they do in the military and for integrity reasons) will then play in the Conference Championship game. That gives you the best chance of getting one of those bids.

You can still use Quads for scheduling purposes to make sure we play each other more often. So I think you are on to something Merc. I see the P-5 asking for the auto bid for the Power 5, but I don/t see a unanimous G5 or even the SEC or ND passing it. I could see them passing highest ranked Conf Champs with a couple of at large to get in. If you do 6 highest ranked Conf Champ, and 2 at large. The SEC can still get 3 and ND just needs to be in the top 8 instead of the top 4 right now. It's not what they want, but it is better than what they have.

For scheduling, I am going to do this two ways, one with ND and Navy and one with Navy and WVU.(focus on the concept, schools can be replaced, don't argue over the schools) With no divisions, ND can play for the Conf Champ game and get an at large. I know TerryD will hate it, but it's not much different than what they have now. They are alread playing 5 ACC and Navy, we are talking about 1 more ACC game. So Quads for scheduling, not divisions: (ignore quad names, they may not even have names)

Possibility 1:
Patriotic Quad: ND, Navy, Virginia, Virginia Tech
Northern Quad: Syracuse, BC, Pitt, Louisville
Carolina Quad: UNC, Duke, NC State, Wake
Southern Quad: Miami FSU, Clemson, Georgia Tech

You play everyone in your Quad every year and you rotate a home and away series with all the other Quads. This means you play everyone on average, every 3 years instead of every 7 years for many in the Conference and you get a home and away every 6 years. Huge win over what we are doing right now!! WE PLAY CLEMSON, FSU, NCSU etc, every 7 years right now!!! That's AWFUL!!! That's a problem with our zipper model. The best matchups are often every 7 years. Who would start from scratch and design that? I will tell you who, Miami and FSU did to have an easier path to the National Championship. It didn't work, the SEC has crushed you in recruiting with selling their compelling regular season matchups. Stop digging the hole please!!!

For matchups like UNC and UVA, you still play it every year as one of your P5 matchups. Remember VT is playing 10 P5's this year. So playing your Quad and one other Quad is only 7 games. You can play 3 more P5's from in the Conference or in ND's case out of the ACC. ND is playing 9 P5's this year, but 10 if you count Cincy to the B12 For ND, Navy is already in, so check that box in the 7. They can pick 3 others and add USC-w or Stanford or Michigan or Purdue or Wisconsin etc. There is zero problem playing a National Schedule and they can get the highest ranked Conference Champion bid "or" the at large bid. More chances to make the playoff than they have now or a reduced amount of chances if they don't.

All of this is the same if ND does what TerryD and the older ND alumni want and they don't jump in. It works just as easy with Navy and WVU as it does with ND. Just replace ND with WVU. So okay, we buy the ND partially Independent forever (remember they are already an ACC member for all other sports and the 5 game football schedule, so it's partial and not full Independence). No big deal, but either way the ACC starts playing each other way more often with Quad scheduling (not Divisions) and we get the highest ranked teams in the Conference Championship to give us a better chance of getting that auto bid for the highest ranked Con Champ.

Still may have to work some things, but it is way better than what we have now, with our without Notre Dame.

Yeah I know TerryD, it's without for you. That's a show!!! Kornheiser and Wilbon move over!! :-)




[Post edited by Stech at 11/13/2021 07:44AM]